What Can I Do With This New Tool? 10+ Ways to use iPads in the Classroom
I recommend that you visit more sites about using iPads linked in my Resources page
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Lessons Guides Recommended Reading
Lessons Guides Recommended Reading
It is helpful to think of the iPad as a portal to newer and higher levels of learning. It is not just about learning content through Apps, it is also a tool for communicating, creating, applying knowledge, and curation*.
Whole Class Lessons, Videos & Presentations - A good way to begin using an iPad for a whole class lesson is to use it with a projector to show images of movies as an introduction to a lesson. YouTube and Vimeo are two good sites for educational video. You can find video lessons from Kahn Academy or upload videos of your own lessons. You will find that you are quickly using the iPad with your whole class to search topics, present a powerpoint, model writing or math problems, demonstrate art lessons and to contact 'experts' from the community or around the world via email, twitter, Skype or Facetime. An excellent free site for creating your own interactive multimedia lessons and presentations is edcanvas (now called BlendSpace). Kids love flying into another part of the world on a virtual field trip using GoogleEarth.
Even Kindergarten students can learn how to create and give presentations from their iPads. They can share their digital stories, comic strips, recordings, photos and movies. They can also share Apps, maps and games that they have discovered with their classmates or parents.
In the photo above K-6 iTeam Buddies work on their projects and practice presentations.
Even Kindergarten students can learn how to create and give presentations from their iPads. They can share their digital stories, comic strips, recordings, photos and movies. They can also share Apps, maps and games that they have discovered with their classmates or parents.
In the photo above K-6 iTeam Buddies work on their projects and practice presentations.
Whole Class Instruction with 1:1 iPads - The easiest way to begin using iPads 1:1 in a whole class setting is for guided direct instruction using the iPad as a white board. The advantage is that students can save their work for publication and sharing. You can use the whiteboard feature in any drawing app to teach math, language arts, mind maps, writing, etc. Ideal lessons for establishing class procedures with young children include guided art lessons, (Drawing Pad), handwriting practice, math lessons and shared games. Older students can view programs, work, write and solve problems reducing the amount of paper used in the classroom.
Whole Class Interactive Lessons with 1:1 devices - Students can participate in lessons projected onto a screen from their desks by using screen-sharing apps and interactive responders with Apple TV, Airserver or NearPod. They can respond to a poll or collaborate on building concept maps, write, share ideas and solve problems together.
Group Lessons - Teacher Facilitated - The small group guided-reading model can be applied to using iPads in a group of 5 or 6 students. It is an excellent way to teach children how to use the iPad and to establish clear procedures and norms. We use small groups daily to teach content such as handwriting, phonics, reading strategies, writing site words, a literature lesson or to study a specific topic (weather). Our groups usually use 1 iPad per student but some lessons work well with just one iPad per group used like a portable interactive white board that students can share and pass around.
Group Lessons - Student Facilitated - Once you have established clear norms, students can become the 'expert guide' for a small group lesson. This is a favorite 'choice' activity for students. Experts may prepare a lesson using their iPads or guide a shared reading of a favorite story or app. We use a simple rubric to guide students and provide reflection on their learning during the 'Visiting Expert' center.
Differentiation and Individualized Learning - iPads are ideal for differentiated learning. I have the iPad center set up with one or two guided reading books on top of each iPad and a book box in the center with leveled books. Students read their book before using their iPads. In the center of the table I also have placed a sheet protector with icons of the Apps I would like students to use. In the top row students expect to find the Apps that they 'Must Do'. When they have finished these, they can choose from the other Apps in the sheet protector. Students quickly learn the routine and learn to manage and pace themselves. They know that if they are having technical problems with their iPads, they are to read quietly until someone can help them. Many Apps for math and language arts can be set at different levels and customized for individual students based on their learning needs. Some apps, such as Footsteps2Brilliance track a student's progress. This model for independent learning allows the teacher to monitor and guide each student at their own level.
Cross-Grade Collaboration - We have leveraged the expertise of older students to help us learn and collaborate by using iPads. Our partnership began when my kindergartners taught the 6th graders how to use the iPads. The 6th graders in turn helped the kindergartners write their stories. Here are some of the ways we have used the iPads with older students.
Classroom Management: I use my iPad for taking attendance on our school based website Aries. There are good classroom management programs for older students. My colleagues use Class Dojo for behaviour management.
Managing Student Work: If you have 1:1 iPads students can manage their own albums and save work on their iPads. This is ideal for developing higher order use of the iPad as a creative device. Even kindergarten students can import work between apps to access specific material or tools needed to create a project.
iPads are not designed to be shared devices and it is difficult to manage multiple students' work on the iPad without saving it to an external or cloud based source. I use Dropbox to save student work whenever possible. I have set up a folder for each of my students in Dropbox. The problem is that students don't have ready access to their work. Some apps are not set up to share with Dropbox. In that case I use email.
Parent Involvement: iPads are an engaging way to get parents involved in your class and improve literacy support at home. Some of my most helpful parents don't have literacy or English language skills. Parents can monitor an iPad center, record students reading stories, and help students create books and projects. We have workshops for parents too. Read about how we connected with parents and families though our Home-school digital storytelling project. We can also bring parents as experts into the classroom virtually via Skype or Facetime. You can keep in touch with parents through email, twitter and blogs with updates from the classroom.
Whole Class Interactive Lessons with 1:1 devices - Students can participate in lessons projected onto a screen from their desks by using screen-sharing apps and interactive responders with Apple TV, Airserver or NearPod. They can respond to a poll or collaborate on building concept maps, write, share ideas and solve problems together.
Group Lessons - Teacher Facilitated - The small group guided-reading model can be applied to using iPads in a group of 5 or 6 students. It is an excellent way to teach children how to use the iPad and to establish clear procedures and norms. We use small groups daily to teach content such as handwriting, phonics, reading strategies, writing site words, a literature lesson or to study a specific topic (weather). Our groups usually use 1 iPad per student but some lessons work well with just one iPad per group used like a portable interactive white board that students can share and pass around.
Group Lessons - Student Facilitated - Once you have established clear norms, students can become the 'expert guide' for a small group lesson. This is a favorite 'choice' activity for students. Experts may prepare a lesson using their iPads or guide a shared reading of a favorite story or app. We use a simple rubric to guide students and provide reflection on their learning during the 'Visiting Expert' center.
Differentiation and Individualized Learning - iPads are ideal for differentiated learning. I have the iPad center set up with one or two guided reading books on top of each iPad and a book box in the center with leveled books. Students read their book before using their iPads. In the center of the table I also have placed a sheet protector with icons of the Apps I would like students to use. In the top row students expect to find the Apps that they 'Must Do'. When they have finished these, they can choose from the other Apps in the sheet protector. Students quickly learn the routine and learn to manage and pace themselves. They know that if they are having technical problems with their iPads, they are to read quietly until someone can help them. Many Apps for math and language arts can be set at different levels and customized for individual students based on their learning needs. Some apps, such as Footsteps2Brilliance track a student's progress. This model for independent learning allows the teacher to monitor and guide each student at their own level.
Cross-Grade Collaboration - We have leveraged the expertise of older students to help us learn and collaborate by using iPads. Our partnership began when my kindergartners taught the 6th graders how to use the iPads. The 6th graders in turn helped the kindergartners write their stories. Here are some of the ways we have used the iPads with older students.
- Note taking & Writing: 6th graders first got to know their buddies through students interviews. They take notes, create lists, and create storyboards for projects. 6th grade students practice writing skills by recording students stories, comic strip text, transcribing letters to Santa and writing to experts.
- Digital Storytelling: We created books and stories using StoryBuddy2, Book Creator, Puppet Pals, and Toontastic. and we create comic strip posters using our favorite app Strip Designer.
- Audio recordings of students reading, narrating or interviews.
- Camera & Albums: Students create a portfolio of photos with albums for making stories and documenting projects. They take video clips and make movies of our puppet shows and student presentations. Animoto are iMovie easy to use with students.
- Skype/Facetime: Students can participate in live interviews between classrooms or with 'experts'.
- Digital Citizenship & Internet Safety: 6th grade students use the iPad as a springboard for teaching their kindergarten buddies about cyberbullying and internet safety. 6th grade students will show a video, do role playing with their buddies, and put together a lesson using their own video and interactive media using edcanvas.
Classroom Management: I use my iPad for taking attendance on our school based website Aries. There are good classroom management programs for older students. My colleagues use Class Dojo for behaviour management.
Managing Student Work: If you have 1:1 iPads students can manage their own albums and save work on their iPads. This is ideal for developing higher order use of the iPad as a creative device. Even kindergarten students can import work between apps to access specific material or tools needed to create a project.
iPads are not designed to be shared devices and it is difficult to manage multiple students' work on the iPad without saving it to an external or cloud based source. I use Dropbox to save student work whenever possible. I have set up a folder for each of my students in Dropbox. The problem is that students don't have ready access to their work. Some apps are not set up to share with Dropbox. In that case I use email.
Parent Involvement: iPads are an engaging way to get parents involved in your class and improve literacy support at home. Some of my most helpful parents don't have literacy or English language skills. Parents can monitor an iPad center, record students reading stories, and help students create books and projects. We have workshops for parents too. Read about how we connected with parents and families though our Home-school digital storytelling project. We can also bring parents as experts into the classroom virtually via Skype or Facetime. You can keep in touch with parents through email, twitter and blogs with updates from the classroom.
*curation: In the same way that a museum curator may acquire objects of relevance or an art curator may select or interpret a work of art, the injection of technology and impact of social media into every aspect of our society has seen the emergence of technology curators; someone who is able to disentangle the science and logic of a particular technology and apply it to real world situations and society, whether for social change or commercial advantage. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curator)